Season 45 (2014-2015)
Sesame Street's 45th season debuted on September 15, 2014. Season overview The season boasts a "new, brighter look,""Puppet masters — Sesame Street unveils 45th season". Strachan, Alex. Canada.com. January 24, 2014. adding more color to the set and adding a bicycle repair shop to the street. The season continues the curriculum placed during the previous season of enhancing the executive functioning and self-regulation skills of children. Debuting alongside the new season, on September 1st, is a half-hour version of the show airing during PBS Kids' afternoon and weekend morning schedules. These new versions remove the longer "Elmo the Musical" and "Abby's Flying Fairy School" segments. New installments of recurring segments "Elmo the Musical," "Cookie's Crumby Pictures" and "Super Grover 2.0" debuted this season. Each episode also features new dance breaks with the Muppet characters introducing the letter of the day (led by Elmo), and the number of the day (led by The Count). The format of the episodes is also tweaked, removing some tune-in elements and moving "Abby's Flying Fairy School" slightly later in the hour. Production The season began production on September 30, 2013Stephanie D'Abruzzo's official site and wrapped on December 13.Matt Vogel official Twitter The new "Cookie's Crumby Pictures" segments shot a week prior to the street stories' taping session. Production on the new "Word of the Day" segments occurred during the week of April 7 in Los Angeles.Matt Vogel official Twitter The "What's the Word on the Street?" and other tune-in segments began taping in May 2014, including trips to the NYC Recycling Center and the Staten Island Zoo (with Big Bird)Matt Vogel on Twitter Additional inserts and material were also filmed in May. Parodies and Spoofs The season's parody segments include "House of Bricks" (House of Cards) and "Game of Chairs" (Game of Thrones), as well as musical spoofs - "What Makes "U" Useful" (spoofing One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful") and "Grouch Thrift Shop" (spoofing Macklemore's song "Thrift Shop"). Episodes Episodes 4501 - 4526 (26 episodes) *Episode 4501 -- School for Chickens *Episode 4502 -- Bert's Training Wheels *Episode 4503 -- Proud to Be Me *Episode 4504 -- Numeric Con *Episode 4505 -- The Enthusiastic Penelope Penguin *Episode 4506 -- Number 15's Quinceañera *Episode 4507 -- A Bicycle Built for Two *Episode 4508 -- Ernie's Dance Video *Episode 4509 -- If Me Had That Wand *Episode 4510 -- Calm Down and Think, Elmo *Episode 4511 -- Peter Piper's Purpose *Episode 4512 -- Big Bird Loses His Nest *Episode 4513 -- Waiting for the Present *Episode 4514 -- Oscar's Trash Saving Plan *Episode 4515 -- Stinky's First Day of Preschool *Episode 4516 -- Oscar's Clean Tuxedo *Episode 4517 -- Elmo the Grouch *Episode 4518 -- Friendship Day *Episode 4519 -- Chaos at Hooper's Store *Episode 4520 -- Bert's Sign Painting Challenge *Episode 4521 -- Papa Bear Goes to Preschool *Episode 4522 -- Jack B. Nimble Can't Sit Down *Episode 4523 -- Upside-Down Nursery Rhymes *Episode 4524 -- Abby Schools in Cool *Episode 4525 -- Grover Does It All *Episode 4526 -- Everyday Magic *Episode 4552 -- The Cookie Thief Notes *Episodes #4527 through #4551 were used as labels for repeats of episodes from previous seasons. They all retain their original episode numbers in the title sequences, however. *This is the last season to feature Sonia Manzano as Maria. This was also Nitya Vidyasagar and Ismael Cruz Córdova's final season as cast members. *This is also the final season to use the "chalk drawings" intro sequence. *This is also the final season for the sponsors of the day to be announced at the end. *Starting with this season, Frank Oz and Steve Whitmire are no longer credited as performers. Billy Barkhurst takes over performing Ernie beginning with Episode 4502. *This is Fran Brill's final season as a Muppet performer before retiring. After this season, Stephanie D'Abruzzo and Jennifer Barnhart take over as the performers of Prairie Dawn and Zoe, respectively. Characters :Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster, Grover, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Telly, Zoe, Rosita, Baby Bear, Ernie, Bert, The Count, Papa Bear, Stinky the Stinkweed, Two Headed Monster, Prairie Dawn, Segi, Guy Smiley, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Murray, Ovejita, Mrs. Crustworthy, Grundgetta, Fluffy, Penelope Penguin, Horatio the Elephant, The Martians Cast * Maria: Sonia Manzano * Alan: Alan Muraoka * Gordon: Roscoe Orman * Gina: Alison Bartlett * Luis: Emilio Delgado * Bob: Bob McGrath * Susan: Loretta Long * Chris: Chris Knowings * Leela: Nitya Vidyasagar * Mando: Ismael Cruz Córdova * Caroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar Muppets™ Of Sesame Street :Pam Arciero, Billy Barkhurst, Jennifer Barnhart, Fran Brill, Tyler Bunch, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Ryan Dillon, Eric Jacobson, Haley Jenkins (uncredited), John Kennedy, Peter Linz, Joey Mazzarino, Paul McGinnis (uncredited), Andrew Moriarty (uncredited), Carmen Osbahr, Martin P. Robinson, David Rudman, John Tartaglia, Matt Vogel, Bryant Young Guest stars Credits * Executive Producer: Carol-Lynn Parente * Supervising Producer: Nadine Zylstra * Coordinating Producer: April Coleman * Senior Producer: Benjamin Lehmann * Line Producer: Stephanie Longardo * Producer: Mindy Fila * Directors: Clayton Benn, Ken Diego, Joey Mazzarino, Scott Preston, Lisa Simon, Matt Vogel, Nadine Zylstra * Head Writer: Joey Mazzarino * Writers: Molly Boylan, Annie Evans, Christine Ferraro, Michael J. Goldberg, Emily Perl Kingsley, Luis Santeiro, Belinda Ward, John Weidman, Ed Valentine * Film Producer: Kimberly Wright * Puppets, Costumes, Props: The Jim Henson Company NY Creature Shop - Jason Weber, Rollie Krewson, Connie Peterson, Polly Smith, Lara MacLean, Jane Pien, Sierra Schoening, Elizabeth Hara, Michelle Hickey, Nicholas Mahon, John Douglas James, Tom Newby, James Chai, Erin Slattery Black, Sarah Lafferty, Kari Love, Sally Thomas, Andrea Detwiler, Stacy Weingarten, Casey Miller, Laura Manns, Rebecca Sloane, Ann Marie Holdgruen, Carole D'Agostino * Production: Melissa Creighton, Joseph Roddy, Jonathan Ehrich * Music Director: Bill Sherman * Director of Music Arrangements and Orchestrations: Joe Fiedler * Vocal Director: Paul Rudolph * Music Coordinator: Rigdzin Pema Collins * Music Copyist: Joe Fiedler * Composers: Michael Aarons, Eli Bolin, Joe Fiedler, Jake Huffman, Chris Jackson, Tom Kitt, Alex Lacamoire, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Justin Paul, Kathryn Raio, JP Rende, Bill Sherman, Loren Toolajian, PT Walkley * Band Members: Randy Cohen, Michael Croiter, John Deley, Doug Derryberry, Joe Fiedler, Rob Jost, Gary Meyer, Kenny Rampton, Antoine Silverman, Loren Toolajian, Anja Wood * Associate Directors: Jesse Averna, Frank Campagna, Tim Carter, Emily Cohen, Ken Diego, Mindy Fila * Technical Directors: Tom Guadarrama, Richie Drummond * Sound Effects Editor/Re-recording Mixer: Dick Maitland, C.A.S * Production Designer: Bob Phillips * Art Direction/Graphics: Pete Ortiz * Prop Coordinator: Keith Olsen * Cameras: Frank Biondo, Shaun Harkins, Anthony Lenzo, Pat Minetta * Vice President of Education and Research: Rosemarie T. Truglio, Ph.D. * Special Thanks To: Definition 6, Hyperactive Pictures, Magnetic Dreams, Tony Testa, Yellow Sound Lab * Taped at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York Sources External links *Official press kit 45